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What is Berlin, Germany Famous For?

By Jessica Reed

What is Berlin, Germany Famous For?

While Berlin, Germany is most commonly known for the fall of the Berlin Wall, there are many other famous attractions there which still exist today. Berlin is a center for tourism and was the home of many important historical events. There are still popular attractions you can go visit today.

Important Location in WWII

Berlin, Germany is famous historical landmark from WWII. In 1933 Hitler and the Nazi party came into power in Germany. During the war, many areas of Berlin were destroyed during the Battle of Berlin. After the war, it was divided into two sections: East and West Berlin. Easter Berlin was placed under strict laws and communist control.

The Berlin Wall

Political tensions grew between East and West Berlin until the Berlin Wall was built in 1961, dividing control of Berlin. Westerners could only pass through tightly controlled checkpoints along the wall. Finally, on November 9, 1989, the wall was demolished, and on October 3, 1990 Germany was reunited. The President of Germany's seat is now in Berlin, which is the capital of Germany.

The Reichstag

The Reichstag was first built as the home of the German parliament in 1894. The building stood until 1933 when it was damaged by a large fire. This fire played a crucial role in helping the Nazis rise to power. Because of the fire, Hitler was allowed to pass laws that limited civil liberties and to ban books that did not support the Nazi party. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Reichstag was rebuilt and is now the home of the modern German parliament.

Museum Island

A large attraction in Berlin is Museum Island, an area of Spreeinsel Island famous for its many museums. The oldest museum there, named The Old Museum, was built in 1830. The New Museum was constructed in 1859. The Pergamon Museum houses life-size historical monuments built from pieces of the originals that have been transported to the island.

The Berlin Zoological Garden

Berlin is also famous for the Berlin Zoological Garden. This is the most famous zoo in all of Germany. It opened in 1844 and has the largest collection of varying species found anywhere in the world. The zoo not only houses land animals, but has a large aquarium as well. It receives millions of visitors yearly. Many of its newborn baby animals became famous worldwide, such as Knut the polar bear who was born in the zoo on December 5, 2006.

About the Author:

Jessica Reed is a freelance writer who has worked since 2008 for a range of clients, including Consumer Search and TopTenREVIEWS. She enjoys writing about crafts, home and garden, personal organization and finance, web design, photo editing and video games. Reed is pursuing an Associate of Applied Science in web technology with a certificate in web authoring from Nashville State Community College.